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 Charlene
Sands
sold her first novel in 1998, appropriately named CHANCE IN A
MILLION. Since then, she has authored 20 books (and counting)
writing both sexy contemporary and western historical novels. She's
the recipient of the 2006 National Readers' Choice Award,
the 2007 Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Award and her
books have been nominated for the Colorado Award of Excellence
and the Capa Award. You can find her on Petticoats
and Pistols where she is a regular blogger. Even with all of
this, she finds time to head up the Ask an Author program for
the Orange
County Chapter of RWA where she is an active member. |
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What was the first Western historical novel
you remember reading?
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Well, I can't remember THAT far
back, but the book that stands out in my mind is Sylvie Sommerfield's Autumn
Dawn. I must have read and reread that book 10 times! Then of
course, I loved Sandra Brown's Sunset Embrace and the rest of
her early westerns too.
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You
write sexy contemporaries as well as western historical romances.
How would you contrast and compare these two genres as an author?
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I
truly love both genres. It's fun to switch back and forth from the
fast pace of my Desires to the longer, more intricate plots of my
westerns. There's more room for secondary characters and more story
with the westerns and of course, they take a great deal more
research. I write western men- mostly- even in my contemporaries. I
love cowboys, no matter the century and I always try to "sneak
the cowboy in" whenever I can. |
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What part of the writing process do you
enjoy most-the research? creating the characters? developing the
plot? providing the historical context?
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If
I really have to choose, I'd say the characters. I LOVE creating
intriguing characters that surprise me. I like to write
"hero" driven stories and really enjoy making them alpha,
with grit and determination and a soft side that no one really sees
until he reveals himself to the heroine. Yes, definitely the
characters. |
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Tell us about
your latest release, Taming the Texan. |
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the story opens, widow Tess Morgan Hayworth is living a lie and only
one other person knows her true identity. She feels safe with her
new identity and has finally found a home to call her own at the
prosperous Double H Ranch.
Enter, Clint Hayworth, her
deceased husband's estranged son, who claims he wants to buy her
out, something Tess promised she would never do. Clint is as alpha
as they come- hard-nosed, bitter and very wary of his late father's
young beautiful widow. He has set out to ruin his father's legacy as
payback to the man who never cared for him or his mother, the
success of the ranch and the town of Hayworth taking all his time
and energy. There's a few surprising twists and turns along the way
as the two very stubborn people butt heads and hearts.
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In
the story, it comes out that Tess has survived an abusive childhood
and she reaches out to other women in the town. Can you tell us a
little bit about how that plotline came about? ?
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subject of abused women is very topical and I wanted to interject
how women in the late 1800's might have dealt with not only
physical, but verbal and emotional abuse as well. Tess needed a
cause. She needed something to fight for to show her strength of
moral character, because what she's hiding about herself is pretty
darn hard to swallow. Her cause really helps layer her character.
She'd come to a point in her life where she had to stand her ground.
Clint's father had taught her something about self-esteem and pride.
And she wanted to pass on that message to other women - if even to
become the sole sounding board for the town's women in need. |
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What
actors would you cast in the roles of Clint and Tess and why?
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I
love this question because I HAVE thought about it. For Clint I'd
have to say Matthew Fox (Lost) because I adore him. He has
the ability to show a rough edge to his character, just like my
hero. Tess is a little harder to cast. She's been scarred
emotionally but has a feisty nature about her. I think Rachel
McAdams (The Notebook) could fit into the role. She has a
lively, spirited nature and can also show deep compassion. |
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After
Taming the Texan do you have another western historical in
the works?
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In May, WESTERN WEDDINGS
Anthology comes out with Jillian Hart, Kate Bridges, and myself.
My story is called Springville Wife and I really
enjoyed writing a witty heroine, a mischievous handsome-as-sin hero
and an adorable little girl named Opal.
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How
would you characterize the popularity of western historicals today? |
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Despite the common perceptions
that westerns are fading into the sunset, I think there's a resurgence
of the time period. There is still great interest in our American past
and these stories reflect the best and worst of living in the Old
West. There's a certain grit and charm to these stories that capture
our imagination and throw us back to a rural, rustic time when our
country was still developing. I think westerns are here to stay!
Thank you for the interview!
It's been great fun!
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And thank
you, Charlene, for being in our Spotlight this month!
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